Etiquette Information
A few simple guidelines to help make your
bowling experience more pleasurable
- Be ready to bowl when the pins are set, but wait until the pinsetting machine has completed its cycle and the sweep bar is raised to make your delivery. Throwing a ball before the machine is ready may damage the ball or equipment.
- Observe one lane courtesy. The bowler on the right should bowl if both reach the approach at the same time. Stay off the approach while you wait.
- Taking too long to aim or get set up when you are on the approach delays the game.
- Try to remain in your approach area while delivering the ball.
- Step off the approach once you have delivered the ball.
- Good bowling requires concentration. Have fun, but keep in mind excessive movement or noise could be distracting when others are up to bowl.
- Excessive “lofting” hurts your game and damages the lane.
- Get permission to use another player’s ball.
- Refrain from using abusive language or obscene gestures.
- Play the game to win, but be a gracious loser. Good sportsmanship is always the key to a successful game.
- Wet shoes are a safety hazard, watch where you are walking
Keep It Safe
Stay off the approach, unless it is your turn to bowl and
you are not interfering with bowlers on either side of your lane. If it is not
your turn, step off the approach.
Never walk into another lane. You might interfere with
someone else’s bowling or safety.
Do not bring food or drink near the approach.
Inevitably, someone will stick or slip on debris left near the bowling area.
This can result in injury or death of someone who falls.
Remove Your Bowling Shoes if you have oil or other debris on
them. Step off the approach and bowler’s area to clean and dry your shoes to
avoid tracking moisture or debris into the bowler’s area.
Wear Bowling Shoes when bowling. Without them, you are
susceptible to falling down. When leaving the bowler’s area, cover your
shoes with protective covers. Also, if using these covers, remove them
when returning to the bowler’s area to prevent falling and transferring debris
or moisture deposited on the protective shoe cover while not in the bowler’s
area.
Maintain a Good Pace
If you are distracted, or need to start over for any reason,
step off the approach, regroup, and start over.
Who has priority? The rules of
etiquette are similar to pulling up to a stop sign in your automobile at the
same time as another car, the bowler on the right always has the right of
way. Additionally, look both to the left and right to ensure you are not
interfering with someone else.
Be ready to bowl when you it is your turn.
Distractions, talking, snacking and restroom trips can detract from the
enjoyment of everyone. Now, please, this caution should not preclude any
of these tasks, but should remind you to be courteous to others. Also,
any of these tasks involve safety, especially with debris or fluids affecting
the bottom of your bowling shoes. It takes away from the fun of bowling
when it’s someone’s turn and they are not to be ready. Pay attention, and when
your turn is up, be ready to bowl.
Don’t spend unnecessary time at the foul line after
releasing the ball. As soon as your ball hits the pins return to your seat.
Be Kind to the Equipment, Facility and Others
Quiet, please! Never talk during another player’s approach.
• Do not yell out while others are on the approach. Even if boisterous behavior doesn’t bother you, there are other people on the lanes who may be within earshot.
• Be aware of your presence on or near the approach. Don’t stand in a place that causes others to become distracted.
• Do not yell out while others are on the approach. Even if boisterous behavior doesn’t bother you, there are other people on the lanes who may be within earshot.
• Be aware of your presence on or near the approach. Don’t stand in a place that causes others to become distracted.
Stop overreacting. There will always
be near you who are distracting. Simply, and quietly, step off the
approach until the distraction stops, and ten proceed with your bowling in a
normal fashion.
Control Your Emotions and Language. While bowlers let off
steam during a failed attempt at a shot, or for any other reason, it is simply
not polite to others who share the bowling center with you.
Agree to a limit for the number of balls on the rack to
ensure they do not jam the ball return.
Be a Good Sport. No one wants to share time with a
sore loser or someone who is angry, irritable or speaks badly of others.
Respect the equipment and property belonging to the bowling
center and others. That includes kicking or striking equipment,
causing damage to seating and any other bowling furniture and flooring.
If you make a mess, clean it up! Take your unwanted snacks,
empty cups, and other debris to the trash can where it belongs!
How to Keep Score
Score keeping in bowling is as simple as adding up
the number of pins that you knock down. As
each player takes a turn they try to knock down all
ten of the pins. Each player is given up to two
opportunities to do this. The player will roll thei
r bowling ball down the bowling alley towards the
pins in an attempt to knock pins over. The pins tha
t are knocked down on this first attempt are
counted and recorded. The pinsetter at the bowling
alley will remove the pins still standing, clear
the leveled pins, and then return the standing pins
back in place. The bowler’s ball is returned
and the bowler gets a second attempt at knocking th
e pins over. The bowler again rolls their ball
down the alley to try and knock any remaining pins
down. The number of pins knocked down on
this second attempt is then recorded. The bowlers s
core is then the pins from the first roll, plus
the pins from the second roll, then added to any pr
evious score.
Basic Score Keeping
In score keeping a game of bowling each set of ten
pins is called a frame and an entire game has
ten frames. The object of each frame in bowling is
to knock over all ten pins, and the object of the
game is to have a high score.
In this first example (frame 1) when John rolled hi
s first ball he knocked down 6 pins,
on the second ball he knocked down 2 pins and his t
otal score is 8 (6 plus 2).
In this second example (frame 2) when John rolled h
is first ball he knocked down 7
pins, on the second ball he knocked down 1 pins and
his total score is 16 (7 plus 1
plus 8 from frame 1).
Bonus Scoring
When a bowler accomplishes the goal of each frame b
y knocking over all ten pins they are
awarded a bonus. This bonus that is awarded will de
pend on whether they knocked all ten pins
down on their first ball roll or the second roll.
The Strike
When a bowler knocks all ten pins down on the first
ball roll they are said to have rolled a strike.
The score keeper will mark an X for that frame and
the bowlers score is the ten pins that they just
knocked down plus they get to add to that what they
knock down on their next two ball rolls.
Consequently, you may not know what a bowlers score
is on that frame for up to two more
frames!
In this third example (frame 3) when John rolled hi
s first ball he knocked down all ten
pins. His score is marked by placing an X in the fi
rst ball square. We still don't know
what John's score for frame 3 is until he rolls his
next two balls.
